Spirits
by Wire to Wire
Summary: Insight in how time and work have changed Keller and his relationship to Neal. One-shot, set after 3x11  "Checkmate". No Slash.


_**Characters:** Keller centered  
><strong>Rating:<strong> probably PG-13, no mature themes, no slash  
><strong>other:<strong>__ I'm not a native English speaker and I currently don't have a beta, but this really had to be written and put out there. So here it is. Enjoy._

_**WARNING:** this is set after episode **3x11** (__"__**Checkmate**__" __), it contains **SPOILERS**!  
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><p>Somehow Keller had always imagined himself getting caught by some weird coincidence, like a typo on one of his fake passports or for accidentally trying to take a water bottle through airport security.<p>

He had spent some very unpleasant weeks in jail and and even worse days in court. He had clearly underestimated Neal and his FBI buddies. After all that time serving the „good" ones, turning his back on everything that made him who he was, Neal would have lost his edge, Keller thought. Apparently this wasn't the case and Keller had to learn it the hard way. And yes, it bothered him. A lot. He used to openly ridicule Neal for his modern-day chivalry. How could he think they could do what they did without occasionally sacrificing a pawn? Caffrey, the charming, nice romantic. This attitude wasn't just pathetic but also dangerous. This was the reason they went separate ways. Keller just couldn't keep working with someone who was not willing to pull through with a plan if things got a bit rough. Not just the chance of being left alone halfway into a con, but also the idea of actually being rat out finally spooked Keller and while he knew that Neal was by far the best forger around, he had turned into a unpredictable risk factor and therefore had to disappear.

Keller often thought about making Neal disappear for good, but while there definitely were enough occasions, it never happened. He always wondered if Neal would forget all his principles and kill him if he gave him a reason to. Maybe he would have considered it if Burke's cocky wife would have met her maker.  
>The nazi treasure flickered back into Keller's memory. With a sigh he realized that all he was mourning over was the money he could have made by selling it... in the past he would have been devastated knowing it rotting in a museum, being stared at by pseudo-intellectuals or sketched as a last minute homework by lazy, untalented art students.<br>While trying to fight off Caffrey after his failed escape he had destroyed a long lost Raphael masterpiece. Now he genuinely felt ashamed about it. But that very moment his senses were completely overpowered by rage. He saw his life slipping away, all he had worked for, his reputation... the treasure.

He wondered where his spirit had gone. When he was younger, his heart started racing whenever he saw an amazing piece of art. He knew, only he could appreciate its beauty the way it deserved it. He always knew just the perfect place in his apartment for the artwork he would be "saving" soon.

When he entered Caffrey's room in the city mansion while discussing the terms of their "treasure-for-girl" trade, he felt a strange nostalgic sadness laying its hand around his heart. This was exactly how his place used to look. All the art – no doubt, Neal made good use of his potential.

Keller always calmed himself by thinking him and Neal were too different to compare. Their working style, their ideas, their personality. But whenever they met, there was that voice in his head, softly whispering hidden truths, fueling the feeling of inadequacy, pointing out that all those differences were actually his shortcomings.  
>Of course he was good at what he did. Very good, indeed. He was definitely not willing to change his ways, instead, he kept hoping for life itself to corrupt Neal one day... one way or the other, the past would take its toll, it always does...<p>

Two guards lead Keller along the narrow, artificially lighted corridor. Others watched as he passed by. He wouldn't be returning to his cell anymore. Some looked a bit too happy considering the circumstances, but knowing the Russian inmates had his back made many of the guards feel uneasy around him, so they were glad he'd be gone for good.

Behind the massive gate, he could already see Burke and Neal standing, staring at him in disbelief. Next to them was a tall man in a uniform, waiting to take Keller with him.

The doors unlocked with a mechanical buzz and swung open. Keller made his way through and reached out for the uniformed man's hand, greeting him in Russian. Before they left, he turned to Neal, smirking:"Isn't it amazing how far one can get with diplomatic immunity?"


End file.
